Golden State is the basketball equivalent of that old dog slowly digging in the sand despite its hind legs not working. It might be nice to see the old-timer doing his best, but in the end we all know he won’t achieve what he wants to achieve.
The Warriors’ front office has been desperately trying to hold on to its core of Draymond Green and Stephen Curry, but almost nothing has panned out for this franchise. The team has missed the postseason in two of the last three seasons, and in the two seasons since the last title in which they have made the playoffs, the Warriors have been hard-capped in the conference semifinals.
This season, there are no real changes. Steve Kerr is back, so too is Green, and the front office is hoping Curry can find some magic in an aging body to bring them back to contention.
BURNING QUESTIONS
Honestly, what’s the point?
It’s a sad question, but it’s a valid one. Golden State was allegedly in the mix for LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason. Instead, James elected to go to Philadelphia, and the Heat landed Antetokounmpo. The big offseason acquisition for the Warriors was Yaxel Lendeborg, who the team selected 11th overall. They did not even add any non-rookies until the final week of August, when they signed guard Brandon Williams. Golden State is essentially running back a 37-win team. Jimmy Butler will not be back from his ACL injury until early 2027, and it was recently reported that Kristaps Porzingis did not make it to the Warriors’ training camp in Hawaii due to “an unspecified health issue.” The team also retained Al Horford, Gary Payton II, and De’Anthony Melton. It’s an ancient group of veterans with an extremely firm ceiling that is nowhere near a championship.
What will this new offense look like?
Golden State is trying despite its sad roster. One of the big changes for the team is a new offensive system being implemented by Kerr, who signed a two-year contract extension in the offseason. The Warriors are allegedly stressing a five-out approach to their offense this season. While the personnel is flawed, it does fit that archetype. Horford and Porzingis are floor-spacing bigs who have made 37.6% and 36.4% of their three-point attempts in their careers, respectively. Lendeborg fits the mold for this offense as well. At 6-foot-9, he provides size, and he shot 37.2% on 180 three-point attempts for Michigan last season. One wonders how Butler and Green fit in such an offensive system, considering neither is a real shooting threat, but the rest of the depth chart is packed with shooters and ball-handlers who could run a five-out type of offense. The Warriors have finished 19th and 17th in offensive efficiency the last two seasons. In the minutes without Curry, they ranked in the 28th percentile in offense. This new system needs to work, or else it will be more of the same this season.
Can Curry stay on the floor and continue to carry this team?
Curry continues to perform at the highest level when he is available for Golden State, but that availability is a concern heading into this season. Curry played in just 43 games last year due to a knee injury that plagued him throughout the campaign. Reports from the team have indicated the knee continues to “linger” for Curry despite his own profession that the knee is healthy. Golden State went 13-26 SU/14-25 ATS in contests without him on the floor. They were outscored by 3.3 points per 100 possessions in the minutes he was on the bench. When he was active and on the floor, the Warriors averaged 119.1 points per 100 possessions and went 24-19 SU/21-22 ATS. The Baby-Faced Assassin is obviously vital to any success Golden State will have, but he is 38 years old and still managing a knee injury. It is hard to believe he’ll be able to give the Warriors 70 games like he believes he can.
WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: Under 39.5
